Over 50 of America's celebrity sports figures and over 800 guests are set to join Abilities! to celebrate its 40th Anniversary Celebrity Sports Night taking place on Thursday, May 18 at their Albertson campus.

This year's roster of athletes joining in celebration includes: Jack Nicklaus, who is being honored as Abilities! Executive Sports Star, Joe Namath, Sarah Hughes, Frank Gifford, Ahmad Rashad, George Brett, Mike Schmitt and Tom Seaver, to name a few.

The dinner fund-raiser benefits Abilities! employment, education and training programs that for over 50 years have served thousands of adults and children with disabilities nationwide.

This year's honorees also include Vicki and Stephen Murphy for their outstanding commitment to Abilities! Frank Comerford, president of WNBC-TV NY, is Sportsman of the Year and Ronan Tynan will receive the Roy Campanella Award. Michael Pascucci, president of WLNY TV-55, will chair the 2006 Sports Night

"We are thrilled to have Michael Pascucci as the chairman of our 40th Anniversary Sports Night. He has been an integral part of the Abilities! success in providing the best services and programs for the children and adults with disabilities that we serve," said Edmund L. Cortez, president and chief executive officer of Abilities!.

The event begins with a meet and greet of over 50 Celebrity Sports Stars from professional baseball, football, basketball, hockey, figure skating and other sports, and a silent auction of rare and unusual sports memorabilia.

The dinner, with former New York Jet John Dockery as Master of Ceremonies, features a live auction, with another former Jet, Marty Lyons, as auctioneer, and concludes with an original musical comedy showcasing selected athletes side-by-side with students with physical disabilities from the Henry Viscardi School at Abilities!.

Olympic figure-skating bronze medalist JoJo Starbuck, who owns her own production company specializing in figure-skating shows, returns to direct the show, one of Celebrity Sports Night's most cherished traditions.

Celebrity Sports Night gets underway at 6 p.m. on May 18 at the Abilities! campus, located at 201 I.U. Willets Road, corner of Searingtown Road in Albertson (LIE Exit 36 South). Individual tickets are $500. Tables of ten begin at $5,000. For more information and to reserve tickets, call Nicole Darrell at 465-1595 or visit our Web site at www.abilitiesonline.org.